Love Island

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But, some of the most impactful “Love Island” journeys are the ones not of romantic or even platon ic love, but self-love. An excellent example of this is season three’s gem Camilla Thurlow, a shy, polite and well-mannered woman who worked in explosive ordnance disposal. She would travel from country to country, walking out onto explosive minefields and disarming them to make the area safe again. Overall, she was the least likely person to go on “Love Island.” However, her journey was one of the most special and iconic ones on the show. While she started off extremely insecure and more as a side character or confidant to some of the louder, raunchier girls on the show, Thurlow real ly grew into her own as she navigated rocky romances forward to when people eat empanadas, that connection to their culture

We visited BAE Cafe to test out their empanadas for ourselves. Here are our reviews: with misogynist Johnny Mitchell and obsessive Craig Lawson. But those turbulent waters were simply waiting to deliver her to Jamie Jew second place on the show. Thurlow and Jewitt have been together for six years and are now married with two kids.

KA: I had the traditional beef empanada, which was filled with meat, onions, olives, and raisins. While I am not the biggest fan of raisins, I liked how their sweetness offset the savory flavors of the meat and onions while complimenting the flaky dough. However, my absolute favorite part of it was the chimichurri, a parsley garlic oil sauce which, when eaten with the empanada, added tangy pizzazz; if I could only use one sauce for the rest of my life, it would be BAE Cafe’s chimichurri sauce!

SH: The empanada that I chose was the chicken cilantro empanada, which was pretty cool and tasty. To be honest, I don’t really remember what was in it, but there was definitely a lot of chicken and cilantro! There was a bit of pepper and onion fusion as well, which ultimately synthesized into a very unique, savory taste. The sauce that I was given to pair with the empanada was the perfect blend of sweet and sour — think the Sweet n’ Sour Sauce from McDonald’s, but better. On the side, I had fried potatoes, which were soft with crunchy outer shells. And besides just the food, I really enjoyed spending time with Sally, Karina, and Sophia Y. (not genuine). I’d definitely go to BAE Cafe again!

SK: I made the BEST choice with the Mediterranean empanada — a crispy, crunchy, saucy blob of perfection! Shocking me with some surprising but gladly welcomed olives, this cheesy and savory flavored dough wrap was perfectly accented with a cool, minty Greek Tzatziki sauce that was maybe even better than the one my mom makes — sorry, mom! Still hot and toasty from the oven, this zesty empanada warmed my stomach and soul on a stormy day. I will be returning to the BAE Cafe and ravenously tasting every one of their different kinds of empanadas soon.

SY: My order was the chicken mushroom empanada, which was crunchy, toasted, and filled with a creamy chicken mushroom filling that was reminiscent of Italian recipes. It was warm and perfect for a cold, rainy day. I had my empanada with tzatziki sauce. The cold, tangy sauce with the hot, salty empanada made for a delicious combination. I also had the peach and blueberry empanada, which was really interesting because I’ve never had a sweet empanada. I thought it was really yummy and sort of like a little handheld pie. It was also served warm, with gooey peaches and blueberries inside. I thought it would’ve been amazing with some vanilla ice cream. Overall, a 10/10 experience and I would highly recommend BAE Cafe!

Yes, “Love Island” is a reality show that is known for its shallowness, brainlessness, and absolute ridiculousness. But if you watch for long enough, you’ll begin to notice some cracks in its glittery, neon facade: Thurlow opening up to Jewitt about not feeling good enough for him; Gill realizing that her hard exterior prevents her from showing affection to the people she really cares about; Fury serving an open-faced cheese and ketchup sandwich for a romantic dinner.

Thurlow’s mom, who visited the villa at the end of season three, said it best.

“I just think it is such a brave thing to have done,” she said. “It’s very strange when I think that you have been off to these places to work and yet… On the outside, it is lounging about in a villa in the sun all day. What is so brave about that? But it is such a brave thing to have done.”